Four-year-old Abigail Mor Ethan is among the 17 hostages who were detained by the Palestinian armed group Hamas and released on the 26th (local time). Abigail returned home 50 days after being separated from her family. But there were no parents to welcome him. Abigail’s parents, who were inside the house when Hamas attacked Israel’s Kibbutz (collective farm) Kfar Aza on the 7th of last month, were both killed by gunfire.
According to the Washington Post (WP), her father Roy was shot while covering Abigail with his body. Abigail escaped from her father’s arms and ran to a neighbor’s house, but was soon discovered by Hamas members and kidnapped. Abigail’s 10-year-old brother and 6-year-old sister escaped the kidnapping by hiding in a closet, but have yet to recover from the shock of witnessing her parents’ deaths. Her aunt Tal said, “Both siblings shiver at the mere sound of the wind.” Her grandfather Carmel said: “She is happy for Abigail’s return, but her heart is heavy knowing that her child will be without her parents. “Their deaths are a wound that will never heal,” he said.
The 27th marked the fourth and final day of the temporary ceasefire and hostage exchange between Israel and Hamas. Hamas released a total of 58 of the 240 hostages, including 39 Israelis and 19 foreigners, over the course of three days until the 26th. Israel also released 117 imprisoned Palestinians. Abigail, who has dual citizenship of Israel and the United States, is the first case of an American national being released. In an emergency speech on the 26th, U.S. President Joe Biden said, “Abigail had to experience a terrible trauma. He said, “I am grateful that my child is home.”
Many of the released hostages are minors. They were greatly shocked when they belatedly heard the news of their family member’s death. According to the British daily Guardian, siblings Noam Orr (16) and Alma (13) shed tears as soon as they met their grandfather after their release. I heard the shocking news that “her mother was murdered and her father was missing.” At the time of the kidnapping, the siblings were staying in a safe house with their parents. Hamas members set fire to the house and dragged the family out, and the siblings were captured as soon as they came out and placed in the trunk of a car. The siblings’ mother was shot dead, and her father is believed to have been kidnapped.
There are many cases where only part of a kidnapped family was released. Ohad Munder, 9, who celebrated his ninth birthday during his captivity, was kidnapped by Hamas along with his mother and grandparents, except for his grandfather. Munder’s relatives said, “The released family is still in shock from the trauma of the kidnapping and worries about their grandfather who is still detained.” The Jerusalem Post reported on the case of the Avigdori family, in which only 6 minors and women returned out of 10 relatives kidnapped from Beeri Kibbutz in southern Israel, saying, “Hugs, tears, and pain follow.”
Hamas plans to extend the ceasefire period by releasing additional hostages. According to AFP and Reuters, Hamas said in a statement on the 26th, “We are pursuing a plan to extend the four-day ceasefire after it ends,” and also emphasized, “We are working to increase the number of people released as specified in the agreement.”
However, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is not giving up his will to go to war, saying, “I welcome the extension of the ceasefire on the condition of the release of hostages,” but he said, “After the ceasefire period, we will launch an all-out war again.” The White House said that President Biden spoke with Prime Minister Netanyahu on the phone that day and “agreed to work to ensure the release of all hostages.”
According to the agreement between the two sides, if Hamas wants to extend the ceasefire by one day, it must release 10 additional Israeli hostages each time. The Israeli government previously set a ceasefire of up to 10 days and the release of up to 300 Palestinian prisoners. The Wall Street Journal (WSJ) reported that the two sides are discussing extending the temporary suspension of fighting conditional on the release of at least 20 additional hostages.
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Source: Donga
Mark Jones is a world traveler and journalist for News Rebeat. With a curious mind and a love of adventure, Mark brings a unique perspective to the latest global events and provides in-depth and thought-provoking coverage of the world at large.